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Coal India is going back to the mines, literally.
The state-run giant is reopening 32 defunct coal mines and prepping up to five new greenfield projects this year. It’s a clear signal that as India’s power needs grow faster than clean energy can keep up, coal is making a strategic comeback.
The deets: many of these mines were shut down due to inefficient manual mining. Now, they’re being revived via revenue-sharing deals with private players. This is part of the Coal Ministry’s broader policy push to boost domestic output and cut imports.
Why it matters: renewables may be rising, but coal still fuels 74% of India’s electricity. With energy consumption set to more than double by 2050 and clean tech falling short of targets, coal remains India’s reliable fallback.
Zoom out: Coal India supplies 75% of the nation’s coal and plans to scale up output 6–7% annually to hit 1.5 billion tonnes by 2030. The energy transition is underway, but for now, coal is still carrying the load.
